The turn of the century has opened a new door for human civilisation with people able to express themselves in ways they never could before. However in the 1980’s one man was not afforded this pleasure, and his name is Justin Fashanu. Justin, was the first openly gay footballer. Whilst this may seem like a great achievement, it has a tragic ending.
Justin Fashanu, was born on February 19th 1961, in the London Borough of Hackney. However at the age of 6 he and his brother were both adopted by Alf and Betty Jackson, who resided in the county of Norfolk. It is here where he was scouted and then later recruited by Norwich City FC. In his playing career at Norwich he scored an astonishing 35 goals in 90 appearances. This eventually earned him the title of first black man transferred from one team to another for £1,000,000. At Nottingham Forrest, Fashanu struggled, not helped by the fact that questions over his sexuality were being questioned. Later, in his career Justin sat down for an exclusive interview with “The Sun” where he officially came out. In this interview he revealed a list of high-profile sexual partners that he had over the years. Following his retirement, Justin moved into management, where he was the coach of Maryland Mania. Whilst manager of this club, Fashanu was accused of sexual harassment by a 17 year old male. This accusation forced, Justin to return to England, however in the same year, on May 3rd 1998, he had committed suicide in a garage in Shoreditch.
Whilst the latter part of Justin Fashanu’s life was filled with controversy, it is undeniable that he broke down massive barriers which allowed black footballers to reach the very top level of professional sport in the United Kingdom. I personally believe that he along with many others have allowed people to be able to express themselves and be proud of who they are.
